INEZ – Zachary Todd, a 19 year old resident of Inez, received serious
and permanent spinal injuries when his pickup skidded on a diesel spill
at the junction of Ky 3 and Ky 645 near Inez and crashed, he has alleged
in a civil action filed last week by Kyle Salyer of Kirk Law Firm.

In a story of June 6, 2008 in this paper, it was reported that an accident
had occurred two days earlier at Rt. 645 when a truck belonging to Schlumberger
Technology Corporation was traveling along Rt. 3 when a vehicle in front
of the truck lost a leaf spring which damaged a fuel tank on the Schlumberger
truck, resulting in a spill on the roadway. Emergency personnel estimated
that 60 gallons of fuel was spilled and crews worked to clean up the spill.

Todd contends in his lawsuit that Schlumberger, under Kentucky law, had
a duty to clean up the roadway but failed to do so. Todd further claims
that when he came upon the spill later that day, no markers or warnings
were there and that he was not alerted that there was a problem. He alleges
that Schlumberger and its driver, Michael J. McCoy of Inez, had abandoned
the accident scene without removing the fuel and without leaving some
type of warning. Todd claims that when his Chevy pickup hit the spill
spot, that he lost control of the vehicle and rolled it onto its top and
that he sustained very serious injuries for which he has undergone extensive
medical treatment. He contends that the crash resulted from Schlumberger's
negligence.

Todd seeks compensation for past and future medical care and treatment,
for property damage to his vehicle, for lost past and future wages and
for his pain and suffering.

"This is one of those rather scary aspects of driving. You're
rolling along on a clear summer day. The last thing you expect is to skid
on oil, flip over and fight for your life," John Kirk said. "When
Mr. Todd rolled across 645, fortunately he hit no one else."